A Demographic Profile of Brazilian Jewry

Abstract

Brazilian official censuses include a question about religion covering also data for a category labeled Jewish. This information, crossed with other variables, allows a description of the socio-economic and demographic profile of Brazil's Jewish community from the first modern census carried on in 1940, to the most recent in 2000. The census data document the characteristics of Jewish migration and settlement in Brazil in terms of spatial distribution, growth, age structure, occupation, and other socio-economic indicators. Thus, Jews can be compared with the larger Brazilian population, showing specific patterns of uniqueness and integration. The dramatic transition in Brazil's religious profile provides the general context within which the enlarged Jewish population of Jews and non-Jewish family members operates. Once almost universally Catholic, Brazil is becoming more diverse and pluralistic, with the emergence of many other denominations. The growth of numbers of people having no religion has not yet attracted much attention among researchers in the sociology of religion in developing countries. That characteristic is important for the demography of Jews in Brazil because most of those with a Jewish background that do not identify as such anymore, tend to be included under the group having no religion.

American Jewish Year Book 2014

“…These data need to be critically evaluated against the evidence of previous censuses that supplied somewhat contradictory evidence. The historical series was: 55,563 in 1940, 69,955 in 1950, 96,199 in 1960, 91,795 in 1980, 86,416 in 1991, and 86,828 Source: Instituto Brasilero de Geografi a e Estadistica IBGE ( 1980 , 1991 , 2000 , 2010 ), Decol ( 2009 In 2000, about 20 % of the former students of Jewish schools in Uruguay, and over one-third of the adult children of Caracas Jews, lived in a different country. In Venezuela, where the Jewish community has been under pressure due to disruptive security, political and economic circumstances, the estimate was reduced to 8,000 Jews, refl ecting 80 migrants to Israel in 2012-2013, and higher numbers to other destinations, particularly South Florida.…”

“…This is the background and rationale for our assessment of Brazil's Jewish population at 95,000 in 2014-the world's tenth largest Jewish community. Brazil's enlarged Jewish population (including non-Jewish members of Jewish households) was assessed at132,191 in 1980 and 117,296 in 1991 and reached 119,430 in the 2000 census(Decol 2009 ). We reassessed it at 150,000 in 2014.Other CountriesChile has the fourth largest Jewish community in Central and South America.…”

World Jewish Population, 2014

“…These data need to be critically evaluated against the evidence of previous censuses that supplied somewhat contradictory evidence. The historical series was: 55,563 in 1940, 69,955 in 1950, 96,199 in 1960, 91,795 in 1980, 86,416 in 1991, and 86,828 in 2000(Instituto BrasiIero de Geografi a e Estadistica 2000Decol 2009 ). The 1960 fi gure included about 10,000 "rurals", which was not plausible, while the 1991 and 2000 results were plausible and stable, if somewhat underestimating the actual Jewish population.…”

“…The 1960 fi gure included about 10,000 "rurals", which was not plausible, while the 1991 and 2000 results were plausible and stable, if somewhat underestimating the actual Jewish population. Considering the possible omission of persons who did not answer the 2000 Census question on religion, we Source: Instituto Brasilero de Geografi a e Estadistica IBGE ( 1980 , 1991 , 2000 , 2010 ), Decol ( 2009 Decol 1999Decol , 2009, which certainly was an undercount. The new census fi nds 51,050 Jews in São Paulo state-36 % more than in 2000.…”

“…This is the background and rationale for our assessment of Brazil's Jewish population at 95,000 in 2014-the world's tenth largest Jewish community. Brazil's enlarged Jewish population (including non-Jewish members of Jewish households) was assessed at 132,191 in 1980 and 117,296 in 1991 and reached 119,430 in the 2000 census (Decol 2009 ). We reassessed it at 150,000 in 2014.…”